The Sword and The Shadow

In Three Months

Annelotte's magical barrier was as brittle as an eggshell before Nabir's Death's Finger.

The dark crimson energy pierced through the two barriers protecting Leguna. The moment before he was struck, black smoke poured out of his body and he vanished. Nabir's insidious smile turned into an expression of shock and fear. He labored to turn his head around and check behind him.

Leguna breathed haggardly. He drew Flameblade out of Nabir lightly, fearing his movements would be too rough and harm the man more than necessary. He didn't want him to die so easily. To him, death was an act of mercy, of deliverance, which the magus didn't deserve.

"How..." muttered Nabir.

His Death's Finger should've struck, how had the bastard instantly appeared behind him? Not only did he avoid the fatal strike, he even managed to severely wound him.

Did the brat unleash all his speed at the last moment? Impossible! He shouldn't have been able to move so fast! Not even saint-realm fighters can!

Is it a blink? A blink spell? No, that's even less likely! Don't tell me the boy's a high-order assassin and a mid-order magus? But I didn't feel any magic wave fluctuations... How did he do it?

Leguna had no interest in satisfying the magus' curiosity. He clutched the man's collar and smashed him against a nearby wall. The man's back smashed so hard against Jaehart's house that the high-order magus spat out fresh blood. Before he could react, Leguna tossed two throwing knives through his hands and nailed him to the wall.

With his hands sealed, he could not do any dictation that required gestures. He was now far less of a threat. Though Annelotte had mentioned that there were spellmutation techniques that could be used without actual hand movements, Leguna believed the magus was nearly completely drained. It was now time to get payback!

"You killed Jaehart's family because you were strong. And now, your life is in my hands; in the hands of someone stronger than you."

Leguna walked over slowly. The magus couldn't see the expression on his face in the dark, but mind-numbing fear lit up his own. Leguna raised Flameblade and plunged it into Nabir's arm slowly. The wound in the man's arm didn't bleed much; Flameblade cauterized the cut as it sliced through. That didn't mean it would be any less painful. The high-order magus let out a heart-chilling cry. It sounded like his voice box had completely recovered from Leguna's previous cut. The boy enjoyed the magus' cry in a slight daze before he continued to apply force. Under his control, Flameblade turned a full circle still dug into the arm.

Leguna stuck his right hand into the wound and gave it a harsh pull, tearing off a large chunk of flesh in an instant and revealing white bone beneath.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" Leguna laughed maniacally as he casually tossed the flesh away like trash.

"How addictive!" Leguna screeched, licking his lips, "The feeling of tear flesh, that howl of yours, the rush of dominating a high-order mage! It's addictive… really addictive... It will be a real shame if I accidentally killed you too early."

"Kill me! Just kill me now!" cried Nabir.

There was a hint of begging in his voice.

"Oh, I wouldn't be so wasteful. Believe me, the next few minutes will be the most unforgettable and final experience you will ever have."

Leguna wore an innocent toddler's smile, but a shiver-inducing cruelty shone in his eyes. Nabir cried in pain non-stop thereafter. His voice was high-pitched and loud at first, a few curses snuck in every now and then as well. It soon became hoarse, though, and he started begging. Soon he went quiet. Only the sound of meat tearing continued.

A few of Jaehart's neighbors were startled by Nabir's cries. They stuck out their heads to curse the one disturbing their sleep, but, when they saw the bloody scene, they kept their mouths shut, praying that the murderous madman wouldn't come for them.

Clarity eventually returned to Leguna. He looked around in a daze and saw blood, flakes of meat, bone, innards, and pieces of clothing all over the place. He stank of bitter-sweet blood. Nobody could imagine the mess of meat, bone, and cloth used to be a person.

Leguna raised his hands; his powerful, tensed-up arms were covered in blood and chunks of flesh. Even a demon's talons wouldn't look so savage. He shuddered once. Twisting his head to look at Riddie not far away, he approached.

"No! No! Don't come! I'm Riddie Molt! Edwin Molt's son! You can't kill me! You don't dare! Don't get any closer!"

When Riddie realized the demon's attention had turned to him, he found strength he never knew he had and crawled backward non-stop. He only wanted one thing, to put as much distance between him and the young demon as possible.

Leguna looked at the maggot and recalled the harrowing scene he had seen in Jaehart's home. His blood boiled again.

"I remember I said when you're ready to be hurt, you could go to Starfall to cause trouble for me, didn't I? But if you dared to cause trouble for Jaehart, you'd better be ready to die! Did you forget? Or do you have a death wish?"

"You're not Eye of Arcana's match! You killed Nabir. They definitely won't spare you! You're dead! Don't come any closer!" rambled the maggot.

Leguna tightened his grip on Riddie's throat and raised him up high.

"Whether I die or not is none of your concern. Today was your last."

"No! Stop! You don't have the guts to kill me! I'm Riddie Molt, the mayor's son!" coughed the maggot.

Even as it was being choked to death, it still didn't forget about its father's backing.

"Oh, the mayor has come," said Leguna.

Rapid footsteps clopped on the street. It seemed a large group was approaching.

Edwin was filled with anxiety. The moment he heard the commotion at Jaehart's home, he knew something bad was about to go down. He was no idiot, though. Someone who could fight with Nabir was not someone he could afford to offend. He'd hurriedly called all of Nabir's men to come along.

While the attendants were usually quite stubborn, the moment Edwin mentioned Nabir, they made haste to the scene without question.

Seeing that his son still alive, Edwin breathed a sigh of relief. However, he wondered where Nabir had gone.

Shouldn't he be with Riddie?

"Release him. If you do, your punishment might be lighter," commanded he.

He had brought more than twenty people with him and thought he had more than enough grounds to make demands. Leguna released the gasping Riddie and inspected everyone calmly.

"So you're Leguna?" asked the squad's vice-captain.

His eyes nearly fell out of his head when he saw Kratt's corpse. But he wasn't afraid of the kid, they had the numbers.

"Yes. Why? You're looking for me?"

Leguna held Riddie by the hair.

"The vice president of Eye of Arcana, Grand Magus Hladik, ordered us to investigate the incident of his beloved disciple's death. It's said you were involved. I need you to come with us," said the attendant.

"Hladik, huh? So everything started with him?"

He nodded.

"I did kill Farsi."

"Then you best drop your weapons and release my son," said Edwin hurriedly.

Seeing the pleading look in Riddie's eyes, he couldn't bear to see his son in any more pain.

"Him?" Leguna asked, tugging on Riddie's hair, "But he has sinned. The Jaehart's family died because of him."

"I don't care what happened to Jaehart, neither should you!" Edwin roared loudly, "Release him instantly, or else..."

Leguna didn't bother waiting for the old man to finish. He drew Flameblade and cut Riddie's head off before tossing it to Edwin.

"Or else what?"

Leguna's tone wasn't filled with anger or provocation, but rather, pure curiosity. It was as if he saw killing Riddie as no different from stomping on a stink bug, like it was the most natural thing in the world. His nonchalance was the ultimate insult. Edwin stared at his son's head, which rolled at him haphazardly, blankly. It happened so quickly. It felt so surreal.

"Kill him! Kill him now!" cried he.

The sudden pain and grief made him suffer a minor mental breakdown. Though the attendants could ignore the mayor's bellowing, to complete the mission Grand Magus Hladik had given them, they would have to apprehend the brat and take him back. So, they drew their swords.

Leguna didn't panic as the situation unfolded. As he stood there, completely relaxed, he suddenly spoke.

"Three months!"

Everyone was stunned; they didn't know what he meant.

"If any of you here can return alive, tell Hladik in three months, I, Leguna Dark Requiem, will come to claim his life! Make sure he cleans his throat and waits for me!"

Dark Requiem, the moniker Wayerliss had given him, was known to the world for the first time. In the following years, the moniker would spread across Lance and all over the world along with many other outlandish legends. People would come to turn pale with its mention.